Long time readers know that each month for my Virtual Tastings, I pick a specific wine on a specific date and discuss the wine with others on-line. Since starting these tastings in 2008, I have never varied from this format.

Until now.

As many of you know, Thursday March 25th there is a nationwide Washington Merlot Twitter tasting. The event is being organized by DrinkNectar.com in conjunction with a number of other Washington wine bloggers and social media folks (see list here).

Participation in the event is simple. All people need to do is find a Washington Merlot and tweet about it between 5 and 7pm PT on the 25th using the hashtag #WAMerlot. For you long-time virtual tasters, this differs from our usual time of 7-9pm, but I'm sure the tweeting will go on long past 7pm if you find yourself late to the party.

Don't use Twitter? Feel free to leave a comment on my blog post on Thursday the 25th, and I will link the comment to Twitter. For those unaccustomed to Twitter, go to search.twitter.com and search for #WAMerlot during the event to follow the discussion.

In terms of finding a wine, many retailers and Washington wineries are offering Merlot specials for the event. Ask your favorite Washington winery if they are participating in the event to see what they have planned. Almost seventy wineries are currently signed up (see list here) along with a number of wine bars, restaurants, and retailers (Note: Wineries, there is still time to join. See a list of potential ways to participate here. Even if you can't participate, let your fans and followers know about the event so they can tweet about your wine).